How to use S.M.A.R.T. Feedback to prevent inappropriate communication at work.

1. S.M.A.R.T. Feedback
Feedback is two-way communication
for
▪ Personnel Reviews
▪ Agile Standups
▪ Any evaluation conversation
S.M.A.R.T. Feedback is first mentioned by
George T. Doran in
Management Review,
November 1981
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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2. What is S.M.A.R.T. feedback?
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▶ Specific
▶ Measurable
▶ Actionable, Achievable
▶ Realistic, Relevant, and Respectful
▶ Time-based schedule of actions
Read more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria
How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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3. Why, When, and How
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Following S.M.A.R.T. guidelines prevents
inappropriate communication
▶ Yes
▶ Because…Agile
▶ Once a month for Employee Reviews
▶ Once a week for Agile Standups
▶ Focus on the future
▶ No
▶ Because…Millennials
▶ Once a year
▶ Focus on past
How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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4. Focused
▶ Yes:
▶ What will be done
▶ Who will do it
▶ What will be provided to get it done
▶ How success is measured
▶ Outcome when achieved
▶ No:
▶ Emotive “Just”, “Feel”, “Believe” statements
▶ Personality characteristics
▶ Opinion, Gossip, anything unprovable
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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5. Specific
▶ Yes:
▶ Actual on-the-job events, data, direct quotes
▶ “I” or name
▶ No:
▶ Comparisons to other people – apples to oranges
▶ Business literature examples – edited,
extrapolated
▶ Military stories – edited, extrapolated
▶ “We” – “We feel that…”, “We’ve decided…”
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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6. Measurable
▶ Yes
▶ Percentages, numbers, rates
▶ Resources required
Team members
Software, databases
Communication processes
Reporting, periodic checking-in
▶ No
▶ “Improve” statements, non-specific outcomes
▶ “Do it alone” = Corporate culture problem
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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7. Actionable, Achievable
▶ Yes
▶ Can be achieved
▶ Define blocks of achievement
▶ Future-oriented
▶ Increase likelihood of success
▶ No
▶ “All or Nothing” outcomes
▶ Can’t track progress
▶ Increase likelihood of failure
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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8. Realistic
▶ Resources, Time, Skill
▶ Discuss Resource availability
▶ Provide Training schedule
▶ Fact-based, has it ever been done before?
▶ Not Wishful thinking
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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9. Relevant
▶ Corporate alignment
▶ Matches:
Job description
Team goals
Corporate culture
▶ Need to update job and task descriptions?
How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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10. Respectful
▶ Yes:
▶ Professional, Constructive, and Appropriate
▶ Private, professional environment
▶ Professional, positive demeanor
▶ Record responses, “Two-way” conversation
▶ Written and shared at the beginning (print or email)
▶ No
▶ Social event (legal implications)
▶ Negative, Hostile (Agile’s “Kryptonite”, and legal implications)
▶ Unscheduled meeting, “If you’ve got a moment”
▶ Not as an aside in another meeting
▶ No “dump and run”, “I’ve gotta go”
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

11. Timeline of Actions
Ties it all together & makes it happen
▶ Yes:
▶ Task descriptions with delivery dates
▶ Team members with assignment dates
▶ Resource list with provision or availability dates
▶ Training list with attendance dates
▶ Reporting list with submission dates
▶ Periodic review meetings and dates
▶ Outcomes with dates when achieved
▶ No:
▶ Tasks not easily actionable or results not objectively
measurable
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

12. Example
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
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Performance
Review

13. ▶ Create Feedback Document
▶ Provide Specifics to back up your assessment
▶ List Goals and Desired Outcomes
▶ Create Tasks associated with each with a goal
▶ State how outcome will be measured, “as measured by”
▶ List Resources
▶ Distribute Tasks and Resources across Timeline
▶ Schedule Review
▶ Reserve appropriate location
▶ Invite personnel
▶ Discuss in constructive manner
▶ Record responses and signatures
▶ Schedule next Review date according to Timeline
▶ Implement any Outcomes
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Performance Review - 1
How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
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14. Rating System
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Source: https://slidetodoc.com/performance-management-at-university-of-portland-1-course/
Performance Review - 2
How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
Example
Agile
Standup

16. Establish routine for daily or weekly standup
▶ Scheduled so everyone attends
▶ No waiting for late arrivals
▶ Discuss in constructive manner
Assess Performance, Tasks, Resources, Timeline
▶ Q1 What did you accomplish since the last meeting? (brief)
▶ Q2 What will you work on until the next meeting? (detailed)
▶ Q3 What is getting in your way from doing your job?
▶ No interruptions - Everything that is said is treated with respect
▶ No new topics - Not a planning meeting
▶ No rambling or disrespecting others
Enter updates in Project Management tool
▶ Record responses tersely, viewable by team 16
Agile Standup
How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

17. Not so S.M.A.R.T
Feedback
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0
Example

18. Not S.M.A.R.T. Feedback
Source: https://www.xavier.edu/hr/documents/Performance-Review-Powerpoint.ppt/
“When 7 of 10 customers
provided negative feedback about
the recent implementation of online bill payment,
we found Debra
quite flustered and unable to answer the
issues customers raised, effectively.
She portrays a lack of knowledge
in the new guidelines
and [inexperience] when it comes to
dealing with challenging situations
such as these.”
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

19. Not S.M.A.R.T. feedback
Can Debra receive training on the software and new
guidelines, and be re-evaluated as an outcome?
Does it benefit the company to treat Debra in an all-or-
nothing manner? Does it benefit Debra?
How much does it cost to replace Debra versus
providing additional training with a follow-up review?
Help desks run on numbers. Why aren’t Debra’s call
totals or percentages referenced and compared to her
normal performance?
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

20. Provide S.M.A.R.T. Management
“ When A happened, we investigated and found .
Debra’s B contributed to .
Another contributing factor is C.
B and C are caused by .
B and C can be corrected with training.
Debra is scheduled for training to correct B,
and the entire call center team is
scheduled for training to correct 
on the next available dates.
A call center training test is scheduled for two weeks
after all training is completed to assess the results.”
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

21. S.M.A.R.T. Management Investigation
• How long was this “challenging situation”… a day, a week?
• Did Debra’s performance during this situation reflect a
deviation from her usual performance? Did it improve or
degrade?
• Did anyone else have performance problems during the
situation?
• Was there reference material available for Debra to refer to?
Were team members available who could provide answers?
• Did Debra receive training on the software and new
guidelines, similar to other team members?
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

22. S.M.A.R.T. Management Investigation
• Did Debra follow a process that doesn’t support this type of situation?
• Did Debra not follow a process that does support this type of situation?
• Are the new guidelines the process that Debra should have followed?
Was Debra trained on the new guidelines? Did anyone else have
problems with the new guidelines?
• What percentage of total calls does Debra typically handle?
• What percentage of total calls during the crisis:
were about the recent software rollout?
did Debra handle?
• What percentage of Debra’s calls:
were categorized as “flustered”?
displayed a lack of knowledge of the guidelines?
did not provide answers effectively?
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

23. S.M.A.R.T. Management Investigation
• Is the rest of the help desk team assigned areas of expertise?
Are they all general help desk?
• Does Debra typically take general calls that don’t fit into a
particular area of expertise? Who else takes these calls?
• Who else took similar calls during the situation?
Did they have performance issues like Debra’s?
Do they have similar time and experience on the team?
Did they receive similar training?
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

24. Keep Calm
Stay Friendly
Carry On
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0

25. Thank you!
Susan L. Spencer
susan.spencer@gmail.com
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How to give and receive S.M.A.R.T. Feedback - Susan L. Spencer,
2022 - CC by 4.0